T-Day Traditions

Ah, Turkey Day. Fall, food, beer and the couch. I’ve been looking forward to T-Day for a while now, but this year is going to be sad for a number of reasons. Just thinking about it has me reminiscing a lot, but I’ll get over it and life goes on! See, growing up, holidays were a big event. It seemed so to me anyway. Christmas has its routine, Easter, Halloween, etc, etc. How many of you had Easter baskets that your mom hid? We did! Oh, she could be sneaky! Most often it was easy, hidden behind the door, chair, etc. Not always though, ya just couldn’t count on easy. Trick or Treating? He hit the neighborhood TWICE! I had a BUCKET of candy I could swim in. Christmas? Man, I’ve got so many Christmas memories I don’t know where to begin. But that’s a month away. Thanksgiving was all about the food, and in a family of 4 kids and 2 dogs, that’s a lot of food. Turkey, taters, stuffing (yuck), gravy, cranberry sauce, John Cope’s Dried Creamed Corn, more food I can’t remember and….. BOOZE! That’s right, Cold Duck. The cheapest bubbly you could get I think, and my parents actually GAVE us a glass!!! I’m not saying when I was 6, I don’t recall when it started, but I do recall my sister Kelly would take a sip and hand it to me, ICK! We had these really thin crystal glasses, slightly pink in color, and seems like this was the only time we used them. Not even sure where they are now, SIGH!

Years ago when most of my siblings had young kids, it became harder and harder to get everyone home on the actual day of Thanksgiving, so my Pop changed it up a bit and started celebrating weeks earlier. It’s never really been the same. I like tradition, really do, and started to do my own thing, no family be damned!!! I get a big turkey, (small ones are just too easy to screw up), and I do everything but the stuffing. Cold Duck is still around, though at slightly twice the price of $3.99 a bottle, and Cope’s corn is out there: http://www.pageneralstore.com/prodinfo.asp?number=COP-001. It’s an all day process of making the house smell great, eating and eating some more. Football is on, and if I’m in the mood, I rake leaves! And do you think the dogs love it? Oh yeah.

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So this year we are going to the In-Laws in Oklahoma, but don’t get me wrong, it’ll be a great time! The food is good, the company peachy… it’s just not home. I’m already planning on doing “ma own thang” Saturday, but it won’t be the same. Already scheduled that day is a pinball pick up, and it’s Saturday, not Thursday, so it’s different. And don’t get all teary eyed, but I was reminded a few weeks ago that it’s been 20 years since mom died. That’s half my life ago. Cheers Mom! I’ll have a glass of Cold Duck for ya!